What are the main areas of special educational needs?

Communication and interaction is about how your child/young person communicates with others, builds relationships and develops their social skills. This may include: 

• having difficulties with speech and language

• finding it hard to communicate with others, for instance not being able to say what they want to, or struggling to understanding what is being said to them

• having problems understanding or using social rules

• not understanding how relationships with other people work

• having Autism or another communication and interaction condition

• This is about how your child/young person learns and thinks. Children with cognition and learning difficulties may learn at a slower pace than other children in their year group.

• If your child/young person has a cognition or learning need, they may:
  
  • Have some difficulties with reading, writing, literacy or maths 
  • Have a specific learning difficulty such as Dyslexia or Dyspraxia
  • Have difficulties with remembering things they have learnt or with processing information they are given
  • Find it difficult to learn because their emotions affect the way they can manage information.

If a child or young person has social emotional and mental health needs this could mean they appear withdrawn, isolated or they may display challenging or disruptive behaviour. They may also find it difficult to attend school or manage in a school environment. Needs could include: 

• having social anxiety, phobias or refusing school

• difficulties such as anxiety or depression, self-harming or an eating disorder

• Conditions such as ADHD or Attachment Disorder 

• Issues with the child or young person’s confidence and self-esteem 

• Becoming overwhelmed in school and showing this in how they behave in school

These are physical and sensory conditions such as visual impairment or hearing impairment that may make it difficult for your child to learn in a school environment. This could include: 

• difficulties with hearing or sight or multi-sensory impairment

• sensory needs
  

• a physical disability
  

• issues with fine motor skills, such as picking something up between thumb and fingers and using it, or gross motor skills such as running and jumping.